🚨 NBA Arrests Rock League: Blazers Coach Billups, Heat Guard Rozier Charged in Widespread Mafia-Linked Gambling Probe
An expansive federal investigation has resulted in the arrests of prominent NBA figures, including Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former player Damon Jones, in connection with two major illegal gambling operations. The first scheme, tied to Mafia crime families, involved a nationwide ring of rigged high-stakes poker games across major US cities. Billups and Jones were allegedly used as high-profile "face cards" to lure unsuspecting victims, who were then defrauded out of millions using sophisticated cheating technology like altered shuffling machines and X-ray poker tables. This multi-year enterprise, which the FBI claims laundered tens of millions of dollars, has severely undermined the integrity of professional sports by connecting elite athletes and coaches with organized crime.
The second set of charges concerns an illegal sports betting network that exploited confidential NBA information. Rozier and Jones are accused of exploiting their insider access to pass non-public data, such as injury details and player availability, to a betting ring. In one notable instance, Rozier allegedly informed bettors of his plan to leave a March 2023 game early due to a purported injury, allowing wagers on his "under" statistics to profit. Federal authorities allege this operation targeted numerous NBA games, with Damon Jones accused of participating in both the rigged poker and the insider sports betting schemes. As a result, both Billups and Rozier have been placed on immediate leave by the NBA, with the league stating it will fully cooperate with the ongoing criminal probe.